Page 1 of 2 [ 24 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next

Girlwithaspergers
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 1 Dec 2012
Age: 28
Gender: Female
Posts: 1,320
Location: USA

24 Jul 2014, 3:32 pm

Is it normal that I am an Aspie and that when I obsess over something, I talk about it much less than other topics to avoid people knowing, including not revealing them on here. It's like I'm so anxious and paranoid what people will think of me.

Also, is it a bad think if engaging in the obsession calms me, but I feel guilty that people do not know I am thinking about it and how much and that sometimes makes me upset?


_________________
Diagnosed with Aspergers, ADHD, Bipolar Type II, OCD, and generalized anxiety.


brackets
Raven
Raven

User avatar

Joined: 18 Jul 2014
Age: 33
Gender: Male
Posts: 106
Location: Ontario

24 Jul 2014, 3:59 pm

I don't know if it's common, but it's the same for me. I keep all my special interests fairly "under wraps" (less so online than off) because I feel like people will make fun of me. And I know what you mean about the guilt -- I let myself think about my interests when I do things I don't care for, but I feel like someone's going to find out and get me in trouble for not putting my full attention on the boring task.

Anxiety sure is fun.



1401b
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 21 May 2012
Age: 124
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,590

24 Jul 2014, 4:25 pm

Girlwithaspergers wrote:
Is it normal that I am an Aspie and that when I obsess over something, I talk about it much less than other topics to avoid people knowing, including not revealing them on here. It's like I'm so anxious and paranoid what people will think of me.

Also, is it a bad think if engaging in the obsession calms me, but I feel guilty that people do not know I am thinking about it and how much and that sometimes makes me upset?

Anything that a person feels bad about that doesn't realistically hurt others is sad for them.
There's enough horrible things in life as there is, it's heartbreaking to me when that amount is unfairly added to.
You deserve to feel wonderful about anything you think or do that doesn't significantly mess up someone else's life.


_________________
(14.01.b) cogito ergo sum confusus


SameStars
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 17 May 2014
Age: 31
Gender: Female
Posts: 5,693

24 Jul 2014, 4:32 pm

I used to talk about my interests more, until a friend made me aware of that. So I mostly downplay my interests now.
I also get the guilt thing by being distracted during tasks, or that it might make come across as more distant than I am.



a_dork
Velociraptor
Velociraptor

User avatar

Joined: 1 Jan 2014
Gender: Female
Posts: 433
Location: wonderland

24 Jul 2014, 11:45 pm

Sometimes, I do keep my obsessions to myself because I know that once I start talking about them, I talk until I've exhausted every factoid to my audience. I've yet to learn how to chat about my interests modestly.


_________________
“Oh - You're a very bad man!
Oh, no my dear. I'm a very good man. I'm just a very bad Wizard.”

― L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz


CockneyRebel
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 17 Jul 2004
Age: 49
Gender: Male
Posts: 116,745
Location: In my little Olympic World of peace and love

24 Jul 2014, 11:59 pm

I've been downplaying my interests since I was 11 and I stopped talking about them when I was 15. Well, to my parents anyways.


_________________
The Family Enigma


Angnix
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 1 Nov 2007
Gender: Female
Posts: 3,243
Location: Michigan

25 Jul 2014, 10:37 am

There are certain ones that I'm much more likely to talk about than others. Birds is a pretty interesting topic to a lot of people, but people in general don't want to hear about the history of Sonic. My husband doesn't even know about the Sonic obsession...


_________________
Crazy Bird Lady!! !
Also likes Pokemon

Avatar: A Shiny from the new Pokemon Pearl remake, Shiny Chatot... I named him TaterTot...

FINALLY diagnosed with ASD 2/6/2020


League_Girl
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 4 Feb 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 27,254
Location: Pacific Northwest

25 Jul 2014, 10:51 am

I started to quit talking about mine when I was 17 and it was very hard but it got easier and easier as I kept at it. Now I keep them to myself and am no longer able to go on and on about it. I just keep it to myself now. If I do talk about it, I am also talking about other things too and I only do it to certain people.

As a child I didn't really talk about mine because I wasn't allowed to and also kids made fun of the way I spoke and didn't like me so I never talked to them. I only talked about mine to certain people like my friends and my psychologist. Plus having obsessions I felt ashamed about made it very easy to not talk about it.


_________________
Son: Diagnosed w/anxiety and ADHD. Also academic delayed and ASD lv 1.

Daughter: NT, no diagnoses. Possibly OCD. Is very private about herself.


Adamantium
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 6 Feb 2013
Age: 1024
Gender: Female
Posts: 5,863
Location: Erehwon

25 Jul 2014, 11:46 am

I can't really keep them secret.

I became known as the weatherman at work, because there was always a nexrad map somewhere on my screen and I told people about every major storm slightly before they heard about it from other channels. Now my enthusiasm for neurology and microbiology (and lately molecular biology) has been showing (people think t's much weirder to be into science than weather, for whatever reason.)



ZombieBrideXD
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 26 Jan 2013
Age: 26
Gender: Female
Posts: 2,507
Location: Canada

25 Jul 2014, 10:14 pm

after my diagnoses, i tried not to talk about it, mostly because i want to make a good impression on people, so i don't say anything about it (in fact don't socialize very much at all) but when i find someone with the same interest it bursts open like a water fall, and i talk non stop. before my diagnoses i had no idea i wasn't suppose to talk about it, so i would talk about it to an extent.


_________________
Obsessing over Sonic the Hedgehog since 2009
Diagnosed with Aspergers' syndrome in 2012.
Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder Level 1 severity without intellectual disability and without language impairment in 2015.

DA: http://mephilesdark123.deviantart.com


BeggingTurtle
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 11 Jun 2013
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,374
Location: New England

25 Jul 2014, 10:41 pm

They tear me apart from the inside and no one can do anything.


_________________
Shedding your shell can be hard.
Diagnosed Level 1 autism, Tourettes + ADHD + OCD age 9, recovering Borderline personality disorder (age 16)


Joe90
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 23 Feb 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 26,492
Location: UK

26 Jul 2014, 6:29 am

I have made a mistake of losing friends because of an obsession, and I have learnt from it. So now I know not to let people know that I have an obsession with a bus company. People use buses a lot in small talk so sometimes I can get away with sneaking a little light conversation about a bus service when it's convenient.


_________________
Female


VioletShadows
Tufted Titmouse
Tufted Titmouse

User avatar

Joined: 7 Mar 2014
Gender: Female
Posts: 48

26 Jul 2014, 8:54 pm

I used to talk about my obsessions a lot, but people laughed at me, so I stopped. I have some friends with the same interests as me. But whenever one of my obsessesions comes up in conversation I end up holding myself back, so that I don't weird people out too much.

The Weird thing is how sometimes it's perfectly okay to talk about them, and other times, for no reason, people get mad at me. So I just think about them myself, it's safer.


_________________
Maldaptive daydreamer, I don't like the name of it though. I'm open to talking to others about my dreamworld, and hearing about theirs.

Aspie and proud- most of the time.


Toy_Soldier
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 17 Jul 2012
Gender: Male
Posts: 3,370

26 Jul 2014, 9:45 pm

Girlwithaspergers wrote:
Is it normal that I am an Aspie and that when I obsess over something, I talk about it much less than other topics to avoid people knowing, including not revealing them on here. It's like I'm so anxious and paranoid what people will think of me.

Also, is it a bad think if engaging in the obsession calms me, but I feel guilty that people do not know I am thinking about it and how much and that sometimes makes me upset?


I think its normal to have obsessions.
Its good to not overdo it on any one subject when talking about things. It will push people away.
People here don't care in the least that you have obsessions. Doesn't everyone here?
In the real world, its probably a good idea not to reveal obsessions to others as a rule. But you may meet people you can trust with that knowledge. Like if they tell you about theirs, etc.



tetris
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 4 Nov 2011
Age: 29
Gender: Female
Posts: 730
Location: Scotland

26 Jul 2014, 11:01 pm

I don't tend to speak about my obsessions. I am a member of a forum related to one of them and people on there are obsessed with it to but I don't think to the same extent but it doesn't really matter as it's not very obvious which is good.



Danimal
Toucan
Toucan

User avatar

Joined: 15 Jun 2011
Age: 59
Gender: Male
Posts: 268
Location: West Central Indiana

26 Jul 2014, 11:29 pm

I usually keep quiet, as well. I am frequently told that I have nothing but "useless trivia" in my head. Well, it isn't useless to me. The acquisition of facts is comforting for me. Those closest to me don't seem to "get" this. I think my wife has useless religious dogma cluttering her mind, but I don't tell her that.